1901} Queen Victoria's Munshi 13 



dom, but Arabi's popularity with the vulgar was always a source of 

 jealousy with the well-to-do. 



" Later Raffiuddin Ahmed, a leader of the Mohammedan community 

 in London, called on me, and I had with him also a long and interesting 

 conversation. He told me things that were interesting of the influence 

 over the late Queen Victoria exercised by her Indian Munshi, with 

 whom he was intimate. Her Majesty allowed the Munshi to have the 

 key of her despatch boxes and to read all their contents, even during 

 the Cretan difficulty and the Sultan's war with Greece. He read the 

 despatches every morning, and told the Queen which were the most 

 important. The Prime Minister knew this and did not object, as the 

 Munshi was really discreet. As soon, however, as the Queen was dead 

 he was packed off back to India. Raffiuddin seems to have read every- 

 thing I have ever written, and has a surprising memory of dates and 

 facts. He tells me that through his friend the Munshi, he got the 

 Queen to read my protest published in the ' Times ' against the mas- 

 sacre of Omdurman. He was to have been put forward by Lord 

 Salisbury for a seat in Parliament, but happened to be away in Con- 

 stantinople at the time of the general elections. Now, poor man, I 

 fear he is in very ill-health, and is on his way back to India to recover, 

 or, as to me seems more probable, to die. 



"26th Oct. — To-day Arabi came to lunch with us in company 

 with Ali Fehmy and their friend the doctor. Arabi is still a hale 

 and hearty man, and his white beard becomes him well. I found 

 him simple and affectionate, and very grateful to me. It appears that 

 my telegram of congratulation received by him on the 23rd of May 

 was the first news he had of his release and pardon. It was not 

 officially communicated to him till the 26th. I had a long talk with 

 him about the attitude he was to observe on political affairs, and 

 was pleased to find him with definite opinions. He is too trustful, 

 to my mind, of English good intentions, having experienced only kind 

 treatment during his exile, and it is right he should be grateful, other- 

 wise his view does not differ much from mine or Abdu's. I advised 

 him to be content with what he had already said publicly, to call 

 on the Khedive, if the Khedive would receive him, and on Lord 

 Cromer. He has so much dignity, frankness and honesty that his 

 personal presence must do good. Then Mohammed Abdu came in and 

 they embraced, and talked till luncheon, and through it and after- 

 wards for an hour and more, recounting old experiences and discussing 

 modern men. The meeting was eminently a success, and was really a 

 touching one for us all in many ways. I had, however, fever on me, 

 and was glad to get to bed as soon as they were gone." 



Arabi's return to Egypt was robbed of the success it ought to have 

 been by his initial mistake of having allowed himself to be interviewed 



